How do I bypass the script execution risk warning in PowerShell 5.1 updates?

Why does PowerShell 5.1 now require confirmation for Invoke-WebRequest commands?

Advisory: Navigating the December 2025 PowerShell 5.1 Security Update

If your automated scripts have suddenly paused requiring user input following the December 2025 Windows updates, you are likely encountering a new security mitigation implemented by Microsoft. This change affects PowerShell 5.1 and directly impacts how the Invoke-WebRequest command handles internet content.

The Core Issue: CVE-2025-54100

This operational change addresses a critical security vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-54100. This vulnerability is classified as a Remote Code Execution (RCE) risk with a severity score of 7.8.

The vulnerability exists because of how PowerShell 5.1 parses web content. Without specific safeguards, improper neutralization of command elements allows “command injection.” Consequently, an attacker could embed malicious code within a webpage. When your script retrieves that page, PowerShell might inadvertently execute that malicious code locally on your machine.

Identifying the Change

Microsoft introduced a mandatory “break” in the execution flow to prevent this vulnerability. After installing the updates from December 9, 2025, any script using Invoke-WebRequest without specific parameters will halt and present the following interactive prompt:

Security Warning: Script Execution Risk
Invoke-WebRequest parses the content of the web page. Script code in the web page might be run when the page is parsed.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Use the -UseBasicParsing switch to avoid script code execution.
Do you want to continue?

This prompt forces the user to manually accept or decline the risk. While this protects the system, it disrupts silent automation scripts used in enterprise environments for monitoring, scraping, or data retrieval.

Recommended Remediation

To restore automated functionality and secure your scripts, you must modify your code. Do not rely on manual confirmation.

The Fix: Append the -UseBasicParsing parameter to your commands.

When you add this switch, PowerShell tells the underlying engine to retrieve the content without parsing the Document Object Model (DOM). Since the DOM is not parsed, any embedded scripts within the HTML cannot run, neutralizing the threat of CVE-2025-54100.

Example:

• Vulnerable Command: Invoke-WebRequest http://example.com
• Secured Command: Invoke-WebRequest http://example.com -UseBasicParsing

Affected Environments

This security implementation applies to a broad range of Windows systems receiving the December 2025 update. You should check any systems running:

• Client OS: Windows 10 and Windows 11.
• Server OS: Windows Server 2016 through Windows Server 2025.
• Legacy Server OS: Windows Server 2008 R2 (Premium Assurance) and Windows Server 2012/R2 (Extended Security Updates).

For deep technical specifications, refer to Microsoft support article KB5074596. Administrators managing IT environments should proactively audit scripts to ensure the -UseBasicParsing switch is present before deploying this patch to production servers.